Cactus Juice
by jennibare
Summary: Yet another very, very late Zutara Week 2009 entry. T just to be safe if only for references to the effects cactus juice has. Yea for Cactus Juice! And Zutara of course. Enjoy the trip.


**And it's a PWP since I have no clue when this could possibly occur. Let's say after the war ends and they are a little older, maybe not so wiser, but definitely older. They are in the Misty Palms Oasis. Also both will so not be IC due to their mental state so no flames please. **

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Cactus Juice

"Ugh. I can't believe I'm doing this," Zuko wrinkled his nose as he brought the bottle to his lips, smelling the vile clear liquid inside.

"You trust me, right?" Katara asked raising her eyebrow. He nodded. "Good."

They were sitting in the last available hotel room in the remote Misty Palms Oasis on the border of the Si Wong Desert. It was coming up on the five year anniversary of the end of the war meaning the whole world would be celebrating. Katara had kidnapped Zuko for a weekend just to hang out away from the bustle of court life. Away from their friends and family, politics, protocol. Just two friends on an adventure having some much needed fun. For some reason only when they were with each other were they able to just be themselves. Katara had picked way out here because no one came out this way. It was isolated so they wouldn't be bothered by anyone.

And it had been little conservative that Katara suggested the cactus juice. It had become an underworld specialty after Sokka announced the fun of drinking cactus juice and she wanted to try it too. Against all better logic, Zuko agreed. So Katara bought two bottles and locking themselves in the room, they toasted to freedom, friendship, and …?

"Fun?" Katara suggested.

"Fun," Zuko agreed, tapping his bottle against Katara's. Tipping back the bottles, they downed the thick juice of the cactus plant. The bitter taste created puckered faces along with gagging. Zuko reached for the watermelon juice Katara had also bought and downed two of them while Katara drank one of her own.

"So how long until this stuff kicks in?" Zuko asked, trying to get the taste out of his mouth.

"Well, for Sokka it didn't take…Whoa." She stared in the corner of the room pointing to nothing, "When did you light the trees?"

Zuko looked around, "What trees? We're in a room, Katara."

"Those ones there. They're all… sparkly," she began wiggling her fingers to prove her point. She then became entranced with the motions of her fingers as she continued wiggling them, giggling manically.

Well he wasn't sure about any trees, but the lamps were starting to dance. Yup, the stuff kicks in fairly quick. The dancing lamps were turning into palm trees swaying in the wind. Whoa. Weird.

After what felt like hours sitting in the room, admiring the lamps and the designs of the bedspread, Katara announced she was hot. "Let's go outside," Katara announced grabbing Zuko's hand.

"Okay. Wait, I need to put on my hat. I don't want the monkey poodles to attack me." Searching around the room, he noticed there were no hats. He frowned. He'd have to take his chances.

They walked out of their room, down the hallway, holding on to each other for support as they laughed at the talking pictures on the walls. Somehow they managed to get outside. Katara sighed in relief and spun around, legs a little wobbly. "You should do this. It's fun!"

He shrugged and spun around too. She was right, as usual, it was fun. Eventually they bumped into each other falling to the ground. Zuko's hands ended up around her waist and her arms ended up around his.

"Hey you caught me," she observed staring into his dilated golden eyes as she sat on his lap. "Your eyes are awesome. Did I ever tell you that? I mean, seriously. It's like little badgermoles dug out gold and put them there. Awesome. And your eyelashes. It's like they are waving to me. They're so polite. You have polite eyelashes. How sweet."

He pulled her closer to him snuggling into her back, announcing he was cold, but his legs wouldn't move so he couldn't run to the North Pole to get warm. "How is it I use a waterbender to keep me warm? That's weird. We're weird. And your hair. You still have loops. What are they for? I don't get it. Do you catch things in them? Did you catch the badgermoles?"

He pulled one as if examining it would explain everything. Instead it tickled his fingers yet it made her laugh. Her laugh rang in his ears. It sounded like the most powerful sound ever and it made the lights around them shimmer in sync. That was awesome.

"I want to feel the sand. Let's go." He pulled off his shoes and ran toward the edge of the oasis holding Katara's hand so she wouldn't get lost. When they were just outside the walls, Zuko tromped in the sand letting each grain between his toes. Katara meanwhile sat on her butt and stared at the stars. Zuko looked up at them too but managed to only fall backwards next to her.

The lights of the stars haloed and ebbed. Zuko could have sworn there were three that were staring right at him, judging him. Stupid stars.

"Redemption!" she suddenly cried out raising her arms above her head.

"What are you talking about, woman?"

She pointed to the stars, "Them. They're playing Redemption. That one just got past the east gate with the sacred orb. Redemption!"

"I don't know that game," he frowned trying to remember if he had ever heard of that game. "It sounds like fun. Do you think they'll let us play?"

Finally after several hours outside, and some poorly thought out plan of bending that got Katara soaked and Zuko's pants burnt and a debate over the differences between the sand and the stars, they entered the noisy tavern that managed to both frighten and intrigue them with the sounds and lights of the people and music. Having enough of their fill of the tavern, they walked back to their hotel room. Pushing open the door, Katara happily announced they were home before flopping belly first onto the bed. Zuko shoved her over to make room for him and lay down next to her, hand still on her back. He attempted to close his eyes, but all he saw were dots and swirls and fireworks and it felt like his eyes were going to pop out of his head to go play a game of redemption.

"I'm so tired but I can't sleep," Katara announced. "This is awful. It's too quiet. Why is it so quiet? And it's too dark. Will you light a lamp or something?"

"I'm not doing this again, Katara. Just to let you know," Zuko stated as he carefully attempted to light one of the lamps. It was much harder than he ever remembered it being. The fire kept going the other way.

"But didn't you have fun?"

"It's too weird. I feel out of control."

"But didn't you have fun?" she repeated, rolling over on the bed to look at him.

He turned back to her, and laid back down facing her pulling her hand into his. "Yeah, I did. I always manage to have fun with you."

"How is it that we manage that?"

"What?" he asked entranced with the shape of her fingernails.

"Get along? I mean shouldn't we hate each other or something?"

"Well, we are… Holy crap. Did you see that? The walls just vibrated."

"Zuko?" she mumbled into the pillow a while later.

"Yeah?" he rested his arm over his eyes, which was a bad idea. The spots and swirls increased to dizzying speeds.

"You're awesome."

"Thanks, Katara. And so are you." The smile on his lips as he slowly sunk into a very weird sleep.

The following morning, both benders awoke to slight headaches and hungry stomachs. They hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. Going to the tavern they ate their fill, and then returned to their room to begin packing.

Grabbing the sacks, Zuko held open the door for her, sweeping his hand and bowing slightly, "Ready to get back to the real world, Lady Katara?"

"I suppose, if we must," she got on her tip toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Besides the kids probably miss us. Our first weekend without them and all."

**

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**

**Yea for cactus juice! I went for half drunken, half hallucination. Slightly based off a true story. ^///^ The stars were playing tennis but there's no tennis is the avatar-verse so I picked redemption.  
**

**Some couples weekend, huh? At least the kids weren't there.  
**


End file.
